food for thought!!

[aldochina]

just wanted to give you guys this bit. Over the last 5 years I have had the 3-wheeler bug. I have amassed a very nice collection of machines and parts, 7 and enough parts to build a NOS 350x to be almost exact! After 3 I started feeling funny having to explain, oh, it was a great deal blah, blah, blah!! you know the story. Now its to the point were everyone thinks i'm nutts:lol: and i tell my wife not to tell anyone i bought another 3 wheeler.:lol: So for my own piece of mind, I did a few calculations: $ I've dropped on trikes + anything related to- :( $8800.00
cost of an 09trx450r: 7500.00
600.00 nys sales tax
1000.00 finiance charge?
9100.00
take that you bastards(sorry mods)!!
aside from the fact as soon as that trx leaves the showroom you can knock a few g's off its value!! so you tell me, who's the fool.:w00t:

[aldochina]

funny thing is thats just a penny in the hat compared to what alot of you beauty's got invested. :crazy: love it!

[seadoo650]

Tell me bout it. I've got nine in my stable. I have yet to add the totals for the 250R and 200X rebuild. I know it's going to be alot of coin. Luckily I've gotten three of them free. But it's like you said, I don't think I have as much money tied up into my trikes and I would one four wheeler.

Also, don't be ahsamed of the trikes.Admitting you have a problem is the first step. HAHA

[Jbird5363]

My wife was complaining yesterday about the 600 I have tied up in my sx so I showed her how much the fourwheeler would cost that I would want if I wanted a four wheeler
she said go ahead and order your new tires baby

[AutoXer]

addictions cost money and there are far worse things you could be doing. If you ever get out of it you will have something you can sell also unlike alot of other things

[ScottZJ]

Yeah I understand totally. I think I have 14 or so, and still dont have as much as a new quad would probably cost haha. Now for some crazy reason, I have gotten into the tecate craze...got 3 and working on 2 more haha....it never stops.

[ATC-Eric]

If you want to take it a step further, start thinking about the money you have wrapped up as a hole in this hobby. Trips, fuel, gear, wear and tear on your truck....... I dont want to call it an obsession, but it kinda is. I pay my bills, feed my dog, and pay insurance, the rest goes one way or another towards riding trikes.

My life revolves around it, and Im loving every minute!

[bigworm626]

I recently got the 3 wheeler fever a few months ago when buying a 110 & a 200s for $300. 2 weeks ago I drove 3 hours to get a 84 125m for $85 bucks & looking to get more bikes. Is this a bad thing? I recently took my 4 year old & my 12yr stepdaughter to our ranch in Tecate B.C. Along with my nephews they rode those things for hours & hours. It was the best time ever. I love the fact that you don't have to spend you whole paycheck & pick up something that you can restore & like driving. There so nostalgic as well, 24-25 yr old trikes going strong!
I've begun to sell stuff that kept around & no longer using & sell it on craiglist. The money that gotten is going to buying these wonderful creatures.

[luke]

I have 8 trike's, and there's more i want, but my wife says i can only have another if i sell one i have, how do you guy's get round that. I dont need to sell one to make room or anything :D

[bigworm626]

luke!! bigup's you da man. 8 trikes deep! Do what I do, buy & never look back. There's always an angle brotha. :beer

[this guy]

Nevermind a new 450 is merely a quicker revving 350x when you get right down to it. new quads aren't any fun till they have had about 1600 dropped in them. Then they blow up. Good people I'm glad to hear we are all like thinkers on this subject!

[inv3ctiv3]

I went from not riding a 3-wheeler in like 8 years to finding a beat 200x on Craigslist.....That led to two 200x's (and TONS of parts), ATC 70 and a 350x hahaha all within a few months.

[Jeepermc]

I have 8 trike's, and there's more i want, but my wife says i can only have another if i sell one i have, how do you guy's get round that. I dont need to sell one to make room or anything :D

Easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission....And I'm not even married........

[bigworm626]

I love your way of thinking Jeepermc. :w00t: Skies the limit, we only live once.

[ATC-Eric]

I have 8 trike's, and there's more i want, but my wife says i can only have another if i sell one i have, how do you guy's get round that. I dont need to sell one to make room or anything :D

Find something she wants! :naughty:


She gets her.....whatever, you get your bike, and the world keeps turning!

[grandy]

Those are some good ideas for getting around the wives/gf's in our lives. Eric, I have actually used that one. A new idea that just came to me is working so far. I will pass it on, maybe it will work for you. I am fortunate, although the garage is manland, heaven, whatever you want to call it to me, my wife thinks it's a horrible place to waste your time and only goes out there when I am with her (she doesn't have a key to the garage either). I recently came across 3 atc70's (not running) and a bunch of parts (new plastics, oem exhaust, decals......) that I just had to have. She told me no way, you have to sell one first. I said ok, thinking we would just go and get the 3 70's and she would forget she said sell one. Didn't work that way, she said I need to post the ad for one of my 70's before I leave. I reluctantly posted the ad to sell one of my 70's and we go and get the bikes. We get back home and as I am standing in the garage a brillant idea came to me. Delete the ad for my bike, Take apart the 70, store it in boxes in the loft, and finally wait a few days and tell her I sold it. Like I said, it's working so far. As for reintroducing the bike back in the lineup, I have bought and sold quite a few bikes in the past few years, she quickly loses track. I will probably just wait a year and take it back out.

[ATC-Eric]

Those are some good ideas for getting around the wives/gf's in our lives. Eric, I have actually used that one. A new idea that just came to me is working so far. I will pass it on, maybe it will work for you. I am fortunate, although the garage is manland, heaven, whatever you want to call it to me, my wife thinks it's a horrible place to waste your time and only goes out there when I am with her (she doesn't have a key to the garage either). I recently came across 3 atc70's (not running) and a bunch of parts (new plastics, oem exhaust, decals......) that I just had to have. She told me no way, you have to sell one first. I said ok, thinking we would just go and get the 3 70's and she would forget she said sell one. Didn't work that way, she said I need to post the ad for one of my 70's before I leave. I reluctantly posted the ad to sell one of my 70's and we go and get the bikes. We get back home and as I am standing in the garage a brillant idea came to me. Delete the ad for my bike, Take apart the 70, store it in boxes in the loft, and finally wait a few days and tell her I sold it. Like I said, it's working so far. As for reintroducing the bike back in the lineup, I have bought and sold quite a few bikes in the past few years, she quickly loses track. I will probably just wait a year and take it back out.


Lol, thats pretty good.

As for reintroducing it, all you have to do is say you built it out of spare parts! "Isnt that great honey! I had all this old stuff laying around!" lmao

[85Tecate]

8800 in 7 trikes? WTF how........Ive got close to 5k in ONE trike......

I traded 2k$ worth of gas powered remote control cars.....Almost BRAND new......for a 600$ t3 on ebay......Cuz i didnt have the cash, lol.........Now after january ill have over 3k more into it...

[luke]

I could sell up my collection and buy a new road legal Raptor 700i and a nice used 660 to ride off road with the cash, but where's the fun in that :wondering
I'd love a red Tecate and an 86 / 87 200X, but she'll notice if i spend that kind of cash :rolleyes: I reccon i could blend them in, but finding the money without her knowing is impossible !

[ATCeeya]

After 3 I started feeling funny having to explain, oh, it was a great deal blah, blah, blah!! you know the story. Now its to the point were everyone thinks i'm nutts:lol: and i tell my wife not to tell anyone i bought another 3 wheeler.:lol:

:lol: This is so true!! you hit the nail on the head :lol:

[AutoXer]

you have to convince her that the 86 200x would be great for her to ride ... you know you want to introduce her into more of your life ... she probably wont ride it and you wouldn't dream of selling her bike because you love her ....

[Triple B!]

I have 8 trike's, and there's more i want, but my wife says i can only have another if i sell one i have, how do you guy's get round that. I dont need to sell one to make room or anything :D

You have the room for it... so if you have the coin without compromising any bills/ commitments then what's the big deal? Alot of you guys on here really get into the machines and respect them by keeping them nice and everything. Which apart of why these bikes have lasted as long as they have. :)

Anyhoo, We have alot of bills going out, trying to save money and stuff, and also alot of toys with not alot of space, but i really want a 70 anyways!!! hahahaha :D


Oh, Oh!!! and an edit now that I think of it---

If your wife thinks that you have too many ATC's as it is, then sing onto this site with her, and show her Brapp's signature... more than likely her mouth will drop open and you'll be able to get your bike.... shens

[85Tecate]

Find something she wants! :naughty:


She gets her.....whatever, you get your bike, and the world keeps turning!

Exactly! Just gotta rub her the right way and youll get anything you want. No pun intended ;)

[Frankencelery]

I'm up to 8 now counting the new 125m, which is presently in many pieces in my garage. That's not counting carcasses that I don't plan to get running. There's a couple of those too.

I tried to self-impose a limit on no more trikes unless I sell one. That didn't work, for some reason. There was a Craigslist ad and then the 125. No willpower! Seems like the same problem I had right before I went to rehab. :lol:

Do they have Trikeaholics Anonymous? What would the steps be like?

Step 1: We admitted we were powerless over trikes and our garages had become unmanageble.

Step 2: Came to believe that a bigger garage could restore us to sanity. :crazy:

...and so on.

[krazykane]

well i will say one thing i had a trike given to me by my mom and dad as a present .they bought a 88 yz 125 and a 84 200x .the x was bought for dad and the bike for us .mom said trike was to scary and crazy .then the yz blew up mom and dad didnt have the money to get it fixed when they put it in the shop and lost the motor .so the felt bad and let us ride the trike and we LOVED it .then got rid of it later on had bikes never had the extra to get back into the trike seen .then got married starting out at 19 isnt real easy so .about 2 yrs ago i bought a 84 t3 for 300 rebuilt it .then a ytm 125 for 35 bucks 2 70s for 200 .so now the deal is no more til they are all up and running .but to deal with wifey is just be honest and tell her iam addicted .and it could be worse it worked for me .send her to get a a pedicure and a manicure and she ll let yo get another if the money is there .sorry rambling on so now 30 trike addicted and 4 of them 2 pit bikes and small quad

[aldochina]

:hilarious how everyone has there own introduction to the "disease". My wife is pretty cool about it. She just rolls her eyes! But I used to be able to influence how she spent "her Money" She used to listen to me when I said we didnt need something. Now the trikes get thrown in my face all the time:lol:
she has been wanting a new fridge for 3 months now. The one we have works fine, and is plenty big enough. But its almond, and doesnt have water on the door. So guess what, we're getting a new fridge:beer

the first trike I bought was not a good deal! since then, I only go after KILLER deals. (Its amazing how many there are if you search) Thats how you get 7-8 NICE trikes for under 9g's. I firmly believe that 3 of my machines, which I have about 2300.00 in could easily bring 6 g's. Those are the only type of deals i will bother with now. You become an expert real quick, when you get screwed on one.

[oldtime3wheeler]

I had a200s, but told my wife I needed something with reverse. Said I would sell the 20 when I got a big red. Got the big red and reluctantely sold the 200s. Then had to get a 70 for the kids. They fought over who got to ride it. So I bought another one. Now they each had one to ride. Then recieved a beat 200x for free from a friend. After some horse trading I ended up with a 350x. Since then I have bought some good deals and sold some trikes. Got a go cart for $25 and 2 Pep Boys mini bikes for free. My wife thinks I have an addiction. I told her shes right. Now I just try to find cheap toys in alright condition. Then fix them up, play with them and sell them for another toy. Bills and family come first, but then its trike time lol.

[Jim mac]

I always keep a eye out on deals. Ive got a original 87 200X I picked up in trade. I bought 2 small enduro's for $175. Threw them out for sale or trade. I got 2 87 200X's in trade! Got them both running, sold one off and kept the nicer of the two.
Got the 70 bug. Bought a complete but non runner for 200 bucks. spent a hour messing with the carb and now its a runner. Then a lady gave me a honda Elite scooter for free. spent about 50 bucks on a tube, and battery. Traded it for a nice 70 and a trail 70. Sold the trail 70. Then a 250R came up on craiglist for $350. I still need to fix the 2nd gear, but its clean, everything works.
Right now, im at 4 trikes. Found a 185S and a 200ES this morning. left my number in case they dont sell, guy said he would call Sunday. So I may be up to 6 on sunday! jim

[krazykane]

i also like when i take out the toys i know i dont have payment on them .we went riding with a friend he spent more for one then i have in all of mine .and my t3 is much faster then his quad .i would rather spend my money on more toys .

[Pafrig]

I have 8 trike's, and there's more i want, but my wife says i can only have another if i sell one i have, how do you guy's get round that. I dont need to sell one to make room or anything :D

Build an underground top secret trike storage lair. Or simpler yet... Just get a. Few discount cloaking devices at your local hard wear store. (they're usaly blue, watertight, and crinkle alot.)

[Frankencelery]

Guy...don't lie to your wife. Beg, plead, cajole, or do it first and then ask for forgiveness, but hiding stuff is not the road to a long happy marriage. Just my two cents.

[aldochina]

Guy...don't lie to your wife. Beg, plead, cajole, or do it first and then ask for forgiveness, but hiding stuff is not the road to a long happy marriage. Just my two cents.

agreed!! my wife and I are all about honesty. It really is the best thing. We constantly find ourselves laughing about the lies that some of our freinds, relatives live. If there was one peice of marital advise I could give, that would be it!! TELL THE TRUTH!!

[Bryan Raffa]

I only got a few... some of you guys are nutz!!! currently workin on the bat cave..

[RodKnockRacing]

hell i had 3 but sold the 250r so i could have money for the 40 dollar 200x i bought and still trying to find more projects

[Triple B!]

Do they have Trikeaholics Anonymous? What would the steps be like?

Step 1: We admitted we were powerless over trikes and our garages had become unmanageble.

Step 2: Came to believe that a bigger garage could restore us to sanity. :crazy:

...and so on.

Step 3: repeat steps one and two until you come to the realization that there is no absolute cure! :lol: (no cure, only a delay, which is lack of funds, haha)

[code200k]

Step 3: repeat steps one and two until you come to the realization that there is no absolute cure! :lol: (no cure, only a delay, which is lack of funds, haha)

never got pass step 2 because you get bored and went riding

[Threes company]

geez... does this thread ever hit the spot! lol. The other day, out of the blue..... my wife sits down next to me , pad in hand and says.."OK, just what do we have for vehicles around here anyways?" gulp.... "well babe...um, gee... lets see..." even I was shocked at the total. Between trucks, jeeps, snowmobiles, dirtbikes, 3 wheelers (mostly 3 wheelers) holy ....! I'm still not sure I remembered everything, lol. Like one here said.... maybe we do need to start holding Trike-aholic Anonymous Meetings. Hi, my name is Steve and I'm a Trike-aholic!

[Autophysn]

My wife was complaining yesterday about the 600 I have tied up in my sx so I showed her how much the fourwheeler would cost that I would want if I wanted a four wheeler
she said go ahead and order your new tires baby

See, now I have it even worse, because it is on my end, My wife tells me all the time, don't you want a new bike? Just sell the old ones and go get a new one. My responce, I love you dear, but I am a triker thru and thru, the kids can get the quads. She wants a buggy:(

[harryredtrike]

welcome to the nut house

[this guy]

Autophysn you should be happy for your wife wanting a buggy!!! I have recently discovered that buggy driving friends are normally open to hauling around drinks, food and fuel!:D

[Frankencelery]

Who wants to be cured? Not me! This is like the line, "I don't have a drinking problem, I have a DRIVING problem!". Well, I don't have an excess of 3-wheelers, I have a storage deficiency! Let's call it Storage Deficiency Syndrome (SDS) and submit it to the AMA for recognition. Then, when the nanny government covers all our heath care needs, we can all file claims for bigger garages!

Ok, maybe I went off the reservation there for a minute. But I do have this nice pole barn that I could store 3 times the number of trikes I have now, if only I could figure out how to recapture it from the mice. Currently, they make nests out of anything I put in there.

[luke]

Hi, my name is Steve and I'm a Trike-aholic!


Hi, my name is Luke and i'm a Trike-aholic

[Micahdogg]

I'll probably get flamed for this, but I don't understand the need to have so many 3 wheelers. I can understand a few people who just can't resist having a bunch of 3 wheelers, but it seems like it's a competition around here to see who can outdo who.

I've been looking for a liquid ATC250R for quite some time and lost out on several 250R's (and even 350X's) because someone had an inside track and just had to add trike #6 to their collection. One 3 wheeler in particular was here in my town and just because I didn't have the 3WW connection, someone 200 miles away lowballed the guy, scooped it up, already had a fleet and flipped it around just a few months later. That kind of stuff just burned me up because I would have been so gracious to just give him a fair price and enjoy the thing since I didn't even have a 3 wheeler.

I only got my current ATC because I was venting to the right person at the right time who knew of an friends unadvertised 250R. And it wasn't even a great deal.

In the spirit of the thread though, I have completely justified having $3100 invested into my 86 ATC250R. They were $2400 back in 1986 and I didn't have the means to buy one then.

[Frankencelery]

Nah, nobody will flame you for that. In fact you have a point, especially when you're losing buying opportunities to people who are just going to resell for a profit, or worse yet, part them out. I buy a number of parts from a seller on Ebay that always sells really good quality parts. His prices aren't too cheap, but I know that I never have to worry because the parts will be top notch. However, that means he's parting out good working three wheelers, which makes me feel vaguely guilty.

As far as having to have so many trikes, I can explain my justification for it. Others might be different. Mine each have their niche. Each trike has its own personality and usage. I don't have two of the same trike though. Also, having multiple trikes gives friends/family something to ride when they come over. Also, although I keep my trikes in reasonable running order, there are breakdowns, and its nice to be able to switch to another trike when one breaks down.

[TrailerRider]

I have 8 trike's, and there's more i want, but my wife says i can only have another if i sell one i have, how do you guy's get round that. I dont need to sell one to make room or anything :D

Wow, I was going to quote a bunch of people but your all right. I have 7 am always looking for a new one. I have written up my theory on a previous post on here. People just don't undertsand the addicition, hell I don't understand it either, all I know if I have to more, More MORE! Currently looking to trade my 86F250 for an 350x/250r or tec (maybe on the tec part, honda guy I am :)) Generally they are cheap to get and generally cheap to maintain. Still beats a payment every month and these are collectable now. Thanks CPSC for making our stuff even more valuable..lol I Have told family members "Whats was once old, Will become new again". So many people trying to trade their stuff for 3 wheelers.

That said anyone wanna trade a running 1986 F250 2wd for a 350x/250r? :lol:

[atctim]

I was not even planning on replying to this thread, but here goes anyway. 1st off I have never added up what I have into this hobby - mainly because it doesn't matter and it would take the fun, pride, and joy out of it. I do this hobby for fun - so who cares. As long as it doesn't get in the way of bills.

2ndly - when I started collecting - it was like an addiction - I had to get more more more. Then I sat down one day (When I had about 14) and set my priorities. Sell off any duplicates (I had 4 ATC70s at the time) - and then move forward getting models I did not have. After about 5 years of collecting - I completed my Honda collection - with one of each model and respective generation of each model. I do have a couple of other makes too - but just a few I really like - like the ALT50, tri-Zinger, and Polaris.

I did find I kept running out of space - therefore I had to keep building onto my garage. I started with 480 Sq Ft. I am now up to 1920 Sq Ft and plan on one last small 12X20 addition next year. The nice thing is I am somewhat of a handy man with construction and architectural backgrounds so I only have about $7K wrapped up into my 1440 Sq Ft additions I have added on.

Not surprisingly, my wife has been extremely supportive and enjoys the hobby as well. We have meet the greatest friends through this hobby and that in itself is worth MILLIONS!!!

[Threes company]

Well, I don't have an excess of 3-wheelers, I have a storage deficiency! Let's call it Storage Deficiency Syndrome (SDS)

that pretty much sums it up for me, lol. :beer